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Steel Tormentor <Hail-the-Steel>

"HEAVY FUCKING METAL!!!!!!!!!!"

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	New shirt for TF gig	18 Tage her
	We'll have a limited number of shirts available for the gig in the TF on the 8th of Jan. The shirt design will feature the new Knight logo check out the design at the official shop http://steeltormentor.bigcartel.com/... There will also be a handful of the Coat of arms logo baseball & layered shirts available on the night to.
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	Lasse Lammert to remix album.	34 Tage her
	German producer Lasse Lammert will be remixing the album "Return of a King" over the next few weeks...Lasse is one of the top metal producers on the scene at this moment in time so Steel Tormentor are really looking forward to working with him...Check out some of Lasse's work at http://www.myspace.com/lsdtonstudio
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	Steel Tormentor live!!!!!!!!!	38 Tage her
	We will be playing the Ruby Room in the TF on the 8th of January 2010 with Reborn,Morningrise & Thrashing mantis. The gig is an all ages show doors 7.30 admission 8 euros. A night of quality heavy metal is assured so be there or die a death from seven sorts of shite.
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	Interview with Rock on the web up now	237 Tage her
	Interview with Graig for rockontheweb.co.uk I’ll start with a couple of pretty generic questions. First of all, could you please introduce yourself and the band to our readers? My name is James Kelly vocalist/guitarist & founding member of Irish traditional metal band steel tormentor What were your primary influences when forming Steel Tormentor and have they changed or developed over the years? The first time I saw Iron Maiden live!!! I was a big Maiden fan anyway but seeing them live for the first time (on the X Factor tour) it just made something click with me. The very next day I started searching for band mates. I have a passion for traditional heavy metal & its stronger now than it ever was. The song writing & musicianship is much better these days every member of ST can play that’s for sure. I've worked allot on the vocal side of things over the years to & these days we are tuned down to C# instead of a standard tuning .It has helped my voice but it has also given the band a much heavier low end sound. Obviously quite a bit of time passed between you forming the band in 1996 and the release of the debut album in 2004. Can you talk us through the early days of the band and the differences (if any) between then and now in terms of style or approach? Has the band always been your project or did it start as a group of friends? ST has always been my project right from day one. From ’96 to about 2003 the band was a 3 piece playing local pubs myself on guitar & vocals John Hanly on bass & Ian Ferguson on drums. Myself & John were best mates & Ian was a cousin .Our set list was made up of classic rock & metal numbers we just did it for fun really. A lot of time & money has gone into ST since the early days so we take it a bit more seriously these days. Recording albums with your own money is obviously not the cheapest of businesses to be in, but are there any other reasons that it's taken nearly 5 years since the release of the debut to have your second album ready? We did gig a lot between 2004 & 2007 toured the UK played Bloodstock, Up the Hammers festival in Athens etc so we kept ourselves busy. Line up problems was the main reason we couldn’t get into a studio to record. Paul Donnellan the drummer spent most of his time in Dublin at college so that meant our time as a band in the rehearsal room was very limited. After the trip to Athens I knew we had to move on & bring in a new drummer. Paul was a great drummer but he just couldn’t give us 100%. Little did I know it would take a year to find a decent replacement in the shape of Kevin Ryder. We did audition a lot of drummers but Kevin was a different class & a sound bloke it was worth the wait it in the end. Melodic metal bands formed in Ireland in the mid-90s are as rare as hens’ teeth. How difficult was it getting Steel Tormentor off the ground in the early days, and were there any problems getting opportunities in that sort of environment? Well surprisingly once Unleashed was released we started getting some great reviews which led to decent support & festival slots. The hub of the Irish scene was based around Dublin & Belfast so being stuck on the west coast we were able to develop away from the spotlight so to speak. By the time Unleashed was released we had a solid album under our belts which caught everyone in the scene off guard. Traditional and power metal are finally creeping back onto the unsigned scene here in Glasgow and other parts of the UK. In terms of the metal scene in Ireland, or your part of it at least, have you witnessed any sort of improvement (from the traditionalist’s point of view) in your years as part of it? There’s probably only 3 bands I can think of that you could call traditional metal that are doing good things. There's a few younger bands about but they are still in the early stages give them another year or 2 & they may come out with something special. The majority of the scene is still made up of extreme bands. Now some questions about the upcoming second album Return of a King. Firstly, what was the recording process, and how different was it to the recording of Unleashed? Unleashed was enjoyable a walk in the park ROAK on the other hand has been a pain in the arse ha ha. In June 2008 we were suppose to go to Remaster studio in Italy but Norman was in an accident which ruled him out of action for weeks. Then John left the band so we had to cancel the first recording session. Once Norman was fit to travel we rescheduled & over a 2 week period spread over a week in August & a week in October we managed to record the album with Nick Savio at the helm. We drafted in Paul Newell to do the bass parts & he’s been with the band since. The recording process itself was good, Nick is a good producer it was great working with him. I understand you had some issues with the recording of the album and almost came to the stage of re-recording it completely. What were the issues specifically and how satisfied are you with the final product? I wasn't happy with the vocals & some guitar parts. We did come close to re-recording the whole thing but once we redid the vocals & a few other parts it all started to come together. I think we have recorded a good album definitely miles ahead of Unleashed in both song writing & production. I think a lot of people will be surprised by it & hopefully it will raise the band to the next level. Do you think the band have progressed or otherwise changed musically in the time since the debut album or are the songs in the same vein as those on Unleashed? Its definitely a bit heavier & more aggressive in places there’s also a hint of doom in there. We now have a twin guitar set up Norman has brought his own playing style to the band & so to has Kevin on drums a hell of a lot more double kick going on there. It just sounds more like a band rather than James & a few hired hands each member has put their own stamp on it. The song writing retains that NWOBHM style some fast stuff like Evil Coming & some epic metal stuff like the 13+ minute title track Return of a King. It’s a very mixed batch of songs the album doesn’t just run through at the same pace for 40+ minutes. The first album was written entirely by yourself - was it the same process this time around or have the band members who have came and went since contributed anything to the writing of the second album? I have written all the tracks bar the middle section on a track called Into the Black, I have to give Norman credit for that part. I usually tend to write on my own & then let the lads loose on the tracks just to see what they come up with. Sometimes when you jam out the tracks in rehearsals you will end up changing parts because they sound better. When do you plan to release Return of a King? Are you looking for a label or distribution company to make the album available or is the plan to do it all yourselves? We want to get a label on board for this one so fingers crossed someone will give us a decent deal. We have had some interest but we'll wait till the promos are out & see what the reaction is like before we decide on what to do. If no label picks the album up then we will release it ourselves via the net. Have you thrown everything you’ve got at this album or are there more songs in the store that you decided to leave off? There is a concept running through ROAK so the songs that didn’t make it were a bit too different to the feel we wanted to capture on this album. I'm always writing songs its just something that comes very naturally to me I've already enough songs demoed for a 3rd album!!! So the short answers is yes there’s a bottomless pit of songs there just waiting to be recorded. The cover artist, Kris Verwimp, is a pretty well respected figure, doing artwork for Suidakra amongst others – how did you come to choosing him to do the Return of a King cover painting? He did the recent Waylander Honour Amongst Chaos cover I was familiar with that & liked it so I checked out some of his other stuff. When I asked him if he would do the artwork for the ST album he was more than happy to work on it. I wanted decent artwork on this album none of your Photoshop crap but a real painting & Kris is probably one of the best out there at this moment in time. Are there any things you have done with Steel Tormentor over the years that you regret or wish you could go back and change? HA HA HA short answer yesssssssssssssssssss but you learn from your mistakes no one is perfect. I don't think I would change anything to be honest because I believe things happen for a reason. When things go wrong you just got to dust yourself off & get on with it. As long as no one dies it will all be grand & work out in the end. The biography page on your website tells us you went for over a year without a drummer before you found Kevin Ryder. Is there such a genuine dearth of talent in your local area or were there other issues that prevented you finding someone suitable? The musicians are there but most if not all of them play in cover bands & are making good money doing that. There’s no money in metal so its near impossible to get someone to join an original metal band unless they are prepared to do it just for the love of it. We were very lucky to find Kevin in the end. Paul Newell, who played bass on Unleashed, was originally only supposed to play on the new album as a guest musician as I remember. Did it take a bit of persuading to get him on board full time? Not really myself & Norman have been mates with Paul for years so he was the natural choice really whether he liked it or not ha ha. He is without doubt one of the best bass guitarists in Ireland & we push him to his limits in ST & he enjoys that. He also has great stage presence & does backing vocals so it’s all good. Steel Tormentor have been in the game for a long time with, I hope you don’t mind me saying, quite slow progress. Have you ever considered anything drastic like relocating to try and force a break for yourselves? I think Primordial is a great example of this they never saw the need to move abroad & are doing just fine. The internet has made it very easy for a band to reach a massive audience with a few clicks of a mouse. At the end of the day it’s all about good PR & there’s plenty of affordable options about when it comes to that these days. Where do Steel Tormentor go from here? What are your plans for the band following the release of Return of a King? I think the current line up is the strongest ever & has the potential to go on & do good things if we can keep it together. I would like to see the band do some tours maybe festival bills in support of the album. But if we can't get a label on board then it will be difficult to keep the wheels turning.
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	Unleashed up on youtube.	474 Tage her
	Im currently uploading the full album to our youtube page check back in a bit & there should be about 10 tracks there for you to get your ears into. You'll find the link for our youtube at www.steeltormentor.com Once the videos are uploaded feel free to stick a few of them up on your bebo or myspace.Also if you can leave a comment on the youtube site & rate the tracks. Cheers.
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	T-shirt fan pictures	617 Tage her
	Have you got a picture of yourself or a mate wearing a Steel Tormentor shirt??? If you do then send it on & we'll upload it to our pictures you may even win a prize........
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	Bands we have shared the stage with	620 Tage her
	www.myspace.com/oldseason www.battleroar.com www.airgedlamh.com www.saxon747.com www.marshalllaw.co.uk www.twistedtowerdire.com www.to-mera.com
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	Unleashed review metalireland.com	627 Tage her
	Another debut self released album from a band that has come seemingly from out of nowhere, and another explosive strike for Irish Metal. Such is the electrifying songsmanship of this county Mayo quartet with their first offering to the country at large that its hard to credit they haven't been a national institution all along, but that must certainly now be about to change. This gem of a cd hurtles along with massive enthusiasm and punch, delivering hit after hit of excellently written powerful trad metal executed in great style. Taking influence mainly from the classic Maiden gallop and stride, with mild references to Merciful Fate here and there the band are literally on fire for ten incredible tracks of honest and true Heavy Metal done just as it should be. Production is above average though not perfect, with the vocals just needing a little more consistency (volume wise that is) across the mix. Elsewhere the drums are well balanced and the guitars benefit from some great tones, but that is only the start of it. It's so hard to put a finger on why this band are so good. It seems that even with this debut release they have gained a careers worth of experience in exactly what makes a good song great and channelled it into every single nuance of their compositions. The attention to detail is almost shocking: take the vocal harmonies for example. I dont know whether they have had the help of an excellent producer, but these harmonies are just so spot on it hurts, and not in typical ways. So much work has gone into guitar overlays, drum fills and syncopation that the result is a batch of first rate and almost classic songs. Even the lead tones are faithful to the big, wide open arena reverb leads of 80's standards, and with a voice stopping just short of falsetto but with an all too rare vibrato quality, this band just have all it takes to really, really make it. Witness the centrepiece triumvirate of "Holy Lightning", "Eternal Skies" and "Burn". These are not the derivative toyings of the amateur. These are real and they are permanent. They are just utterly sensational tunes. Everything has been thought out and executed almost flawlessly in terms of great heavy metal. Even the album's structure relflects patience and consideration, opening with the classic instrumental stomp before ushering in the power, then closing with a final ballad. To have such an innate understanding of this music on so many levels is an impressive thing in itself. But to then be able to put this understanding into glorious practise is just on a whole other level, and that is where Steel Tormentor now find themselves. I had absolutely no idea this band existed until last week. I now find myself addicted to their cd. But I remember this happening before; an unheard of band delivering a devastating cd that would reshape the Irish metal landscape; they were called Scavenger, and everyone knows the rest of the story. Miss this cd and be the loser - this is Heavy Metal of the absolutely highest quality bar none. The fact that it comes from our own pastures is a thing of immense pride. Get it. -Ciaran Tracey ::: 01/07/04
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	Myspace tracks reviewed	628 Tage her
	The first thing you notice when you crank up the music of Ireland-based outfit Steel Tormentor at their Myspace page is the heavy influence of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, veritable gods of metal. The Maiden influence is most noticeable in the instrumental "The Last Day" and "Wings of an Eagle", but while the influence is clear both have their own originality to them. "Wings of an Eagle" brings to mind Maiden's legendary "Run to the Hills" with good guitar riffs and great lyrics that will get you noddin' your head and reaching for your air guitars. As for "Warrior (live version)" it's just a great kick-ass rock track. The last of the four tracks on Myspace, "Holy Lightening (live version)" is fast-paced heavy metal, plain and simple. Steel Tormentor seem to have all the right tools to go on and make a big splash in the world of rock, guitarist and vocalist James Kelly hits all the right notes at the right time. This is a band that deserve to hit the big stage and wouldn't be out of place sharing that stage with some of rock's timeless heavy hitters. If you like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, check out Steel Tormentor soon. you can find them at their Myspace page linked below. Review by King of Kings-- METAL-i RATED: (4.5/5)
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	Unleashed reviews metalcdratings.com	628 Tage her
	Steel Tormentor hail from the well-known hotbed of heavy metal that is County Mayo, Ireland. The band was founded almost 10 years ago by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter James Kelly, but it took until 2004 for them to release their debut CD and subject of this review, 'Unleashed'. Recorded by Kelly at his home studio with the help of 2 local musicians as his rhythm section, this self-released effort defies its meagre budget and unlikely place of origin to deliver an honest slab of traditional metal that has its influences unashamedly on full display. Straddling that fine line between NWOBMH and 80s power metal with considerable style, Kelly has written a fine bunch of songs that overcome their lack of originality to provide a very enjoyable 45 minutes listening time. The Iron Maiden influence shines through very clearly and the CD is carried by Kelly's very capable guitar playing, with virtually every song boasting dual lead guitar and melodic solos aplenty. Kelly's voice also adds an interesting flavour to proceedings. He doesn't have a particularly amazing singing voice .. certainly he's no Dickinson or Halford .. and audibly strains on some occasions, but this seems only to add a degree of character to the songs. Clearly the man is giving it his absolute all and his vocal performance sums up the hard work he has put into getting a band up and running over such a long period of time, providing the listener with that honest, working-class charm of so many metal acts of the NWOBHM. The songs for the most part are fairly similar in structure, all built around sing-a-long choruses and catchy guitar hooks, but there are a couple of exceptions to the rule. The closing track, suitably titled "Welcome to the end", features only vocals and a lone guitar, and closes proceedings with a gentle fade rather than the expected bang. On the opposite end of the scale is the centerpiece of the CD - a 7-minute instrumental called "The last day", which is a high-speed flurry of riffs and dual leads that sits proudly as the best song of the bunch. More of a power metal song than any of the others, this is the sort of offering that will leave fans of early Helloween and other German speed/power acts salivating. With the exception of the somewhat repetitive intro track, the other songs are all exhilarating tunes that, while hardly re-inventing the wheel, are perfect for fans of classic uplifting 80s power metal. This is a band with the potential to go places, with live recordings of a few new songs on their website showing real promise that Steel Tormentor has, with any luck, a very bright future ahead of them. 'Unleashed' comes highly recommended. CRAIG B
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